Kaju Katli

Make the perfect sweet shop/kandoi style Kaju Katli with just three simple ingredients. Kaju Katli has the most delicious melt-in-the-mouth texture and regal look making it the perfect occasion or Diwali sweet.

HOW TO MAKE KAJU KATLI

Kaju Katli is an Indian dessert that is often made during festivals and special occasions. It is made from ground cashews and mixed with sugar syrup to form a dough. This is then rolled out thin and cut into beautiful diamonds.

The result is dense, nutty and milky with a unique marzipan-like taste. Compared to other Indian mithai or sweets, kaju katli are not as sweet.

WHAT IS KAJU KATLI MADE OF?

Kaju translates to cashew nuts and katli means thins.

Kaju Katli have a distinct off-white colour and are cut into diamonds.

Kaju Katli is available at most if not all Indian sweet shops however, they often add plain flour to their recipe, so it is worth your while to make them from scratch at home.

Kaju Katli is actually pretty quick to make compared to other Indian mithai.

Kaju Katli is often also known as Kaju Barfi however Kaju barfi is made using khoya or milk powder, it is also THICKER and is into cut squares.

Already tried your hand at making Kaju Katlis? Get adventurous and have a go at making our Gulkand Badam Katli. In this recipe, we have sandwiched floral gulkand (rose petal jam) between two layers of Almond Katli.

If you have a family member who is on a low-carb diet or diabetic, here is our No added sugar Badam Katli recipe for you to try.

Want to try a different flavour other than cashew or almond? Try Peanut Katli which is just as delicious but has the benefit of being cheaper as well!

Own an Instant pot or electric pressure cooker? Have a look our Instant Pot KAJU/BADAM Katli

And last but not least we have Vegan saffron badam/almond katli made using almond flour.

IS IT KAJU KATRI OR KAJU KATLI?

You may have heard both names for this sweet. In Gujarati, it's Katri however throughout India it's Katli, but basically, they both are the same thing.

WHY YOU'LL LOVE KAJU KATLI?

✔ Star of all Diwali and any other celebrations

✔ Made with less than 5 basic pantry ingredients

✔ Ready under 15 minutes

✔ Gluten-free and easily adaptable to become vegan

✔ Can be made in Instant Pot and stovetop

✔ Make-ahead and stores well

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE KAJU KATLI

◉ Cashew nuts - use plain and fresh cashew nuts. They should not be salted or roasted. You can also use store-bought cashew powder however this powder can often be darker in colour and you will not get perfectly off-white katli.

 ◉ Sugar - regular white granulated sugar works best for this recipe.

◉ Ghee is optional, but highly recommend it as it helps in making it smooth and achieving a melt in mouth texture for katli.

◉ Water - tap water works fine.

◉ Silver edible foil - To give the exquisite finish and flair to Indian sweets, decorate with vegan edible silver foil or varq.

CAN I MAKE VEGAN KAJU KATLI?

Absolutely you can. Just use coconut oil or any other vegan ghee or butter instead of dairy ghee. Ensure that the silver foil is also vegan.

WHAT TYPE OF CASHEW NUTS CAN I USE TO MAKE KAJU KATLI?

Kaju katli is a sweet dish, therefore use just plain cashews. You may use broken cashews as they are cheaper than whole and also means less pressure on your grinder!

THICKNESS OF KAJU/BADAM KATLI

HOW LONG CAN I STORE KAJU KATLI?

Kaju Katli can easily be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature. 

TIPS TO MAKE BEST KAJU KATLI

▸Just keep in mind that practice makes perfect with Indian sweets so initially, make in small quantities. Do not attempt to make mithai on the day of the occasion or festival the first time.

▸Kaju Katli particularly, is an expensive sweet, so you don't want to waste time, money, and energy and on top of that end up disheartened.

▸There are few expert tips you can follow to get great results!

▸Make sure your cashew nuts haven't dried out, are moldy or rancid, (bitter paint-like smell). If using whole, break them and check for small insects as they can often be harboring these. 

▸It is necessary that cashew nuts are kept at room temperature before grinding them.  If cashew nuts are ground directly from the fridge, they may have moisture which prevents them from being ground into a powder. If they were in the fridge, lay flat on a plate until they come to room temperature.

▸Ensure you do not over-grind the cashews or else you may end up with cashew butter!

▸To get fine cashew powder, use your spice grinder.

▸Keep an eye on whilst making sugar syrup, a few minutes more cooking, the syrup can go thick and kaju katli dough drys out so quickly or falls apart.

▸Keep the heat low whilst stirring the cashew mixture with sugar syrup. Also, keep stirring the mixture constantly all the time.

▸Add ghee to make the dough smooth and shiny, it also adds delicious flavors.

▸Constantly stir and cook the dough on low heat until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. This step is very important.

▸If you undercook the cashew dough, it won't set the kaju katli. In this case, again cook the dough.

▸To check the right consistency, take a very small pinch of the mixture in your hand and see if you are able to shape a little ball with your fingers. ( you should be able to mould it like play dough )

▸If it does remove the pan straight away from the heat. If not cook further one minute or so.

▸It is very necessary that you knead the dough before rolling out, as this step makes the katli dough smooth and pliable.

▸Knead the dough whilst it is still warm, you have to knead the dough whilst it is still warm, but at the same time be very careful and do not try to knead the kaju katli dough whilst it is HOT or straight out of the pan.

▸You will burn your fingers, you don't want to suffer from that pain, do you? 😢Make sure the dough is warm and touchable with bare hands, but same time don't let it cool completely else you won't be able to knead the dough.

▸If you use parchment paper to smooth out the dough or knead, make sure to apply little ghee to prevent sticking the dough to the paper.

▸Roll the dough straight away after kneading it. You can roll out on a smooth wooden chopping board, metal such as the backside of a baking sheet, or between two sheets of parchment or greaseproof paper.

▸If using a silver edible foil, varq apply whilst the dough is rolled and still warm.

▸It will be very difficult to roll once the dough is cooled down.

▸Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut the kaju katli, for accurate shape and, measurement using a foot ruler is a good idea. Cut the katli immediately after you have rolled out the dough.

▸Do not roll out the katli dough extra thin. Make sure you keep appropriate thickness for Kaju katli, extra thin katlis will break when you lift them up.

▸Let the kaju katli cooled completely, before lifting them and storing them in the air-tight container. It can take between 50-60 minutes or more.

PERFECT HOMEMADE KAJU KATLI RECIPE STEP BY STEP (NOT STICKY)

Get the exact measurements and complete ingredients list in metric and imperial from the recipe card below. 

Let's gather all the kaju katli ingredients and I'll show you...

1. Grind cashews in a coffee grinder and then sieve to remove the larger pieces.

2. Mix water and sugar in a pan, bring to boil on medium heat.

3. Once it reaches 1 thread consistency add cashew powder, and turn the heat on low. To check one thread consistency, take a drop of the sugar syrup between your finger and thump (careful it will be hot!), wait for the drop to reach room temperature, and press your thumb and finger together. As you gently pull apart, a thread of syrup will appear when the sugar is at the correct consistency.

4. Add ghee, mix and cook until mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan.

5. Pour on a greased paper, and knead the dough.

6. Make a round ball, flatten it slightly, and put it on another paper.

7. Lay another paper on top, and gently roll out using a rolling pin. Using the extra paper prevents the dough from sticking to the rolling pin, making it easier to roll out.

8. Apply silver foil if using, then cut into a diamond shape and leave it for 30 minutes.

IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE

...you might also like our other Diwali Mithai/Sweets recipes:

1. Mohanthal Gujarati Kandoi Style

2. Besan Ladoo Halwai style

3. Best Sooji Gujiya

4. Kala Jamun

5. Pistachio Chocolate Barfi

6. Habshi Halwa - Dodha Barfi

7. Badam Halwa

8. Kesar Elychi Balushahi/Badusha

9. Thor/Meetha Saata

10. Suwari/Suvari

11. Beetroot Kalakand

12. For more delicious sweet and savory Diwali snacks recipes check out our Diwali Sweet and Savoury Recipes post now